Bulldozer toy with automatic dump mechanism



Dec. 22, 1964 R. H. DECKER BULLDOZER TOY WITH AUTOMATIC DUMP MECHANISM 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 16, 1963 Dec. 22, 1964 R. H. DECKER BULLDOZERTOY WITH AUTOMATIC DUMP MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1963JI/KEM QQ P4Yl/0/MD g DEC/(4? W r United States Patent 3,161,987BULLDQZER TOY WITH AUTOMATHC DUMP MECHANISM Raymond H. Decker, Freeport,111., assignor to Structo Manufacturing Company, Freeport, 111.,acorporation of Illinois Filed Jan, 16, 1563, Ser. No. 251,824 8 Claims.(Cl. 46-49) This invention relates to a toy bulldozer dump mechanism.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an automatic dumpmechanism of simple and economical and yet durable and practicalconstruction designed to recreate in miniature rather realistically theoperation of the bulldozer bucket although only a single manuallyoperable bell-crank lever requiresoscillation from the one limitposition wherein the bucket is automatically locked in its bulldozing orloading position when lowered to the floor to the other extreme positionin which the bucket is automatically tripped after having been raised toa predetermined level, these operations of automatically resetting thebucket and automatically tripping it being capable of repetition asoften as the child cares to oscillate the lever in playing with thebulldozer toy.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG.1 is a phantom perspective view showing all of the essential elements ofmy invention in full lines with the bucket raised and about to betripped;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail illustrating the novel relationship of theelements of the dump linkage to their common pivot and the leveroperated yoke for raising and lowering the bucket;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 showing the bucket indotted lines before tripping and in full lines as tripped, and FIG. 4showing the bucket in full lines raised and about to be tripped and indotted lines in lowered bull-dozing or loading position.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 5 designates abulldozer toy, the bucket 6, and its two pairs of operating links 7 and8 of which the automatic dump mechanism of my invention shown at 9 hasbeen applied, so that a child is enabled to operate the bucket 6 in thebulldozing or loading position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4 to pickup a scoop of sand, for example, and then by merely pulling back on thebell-crank lever 1! which is suitably pivoted at 11 relative to theframe 12 of the toy, raise the bucket, as shown in full lines in FIGS. 1and 4, to transport the load to the place for dumping, and thereafter bya further rearward pull on bell-crank lever trip the bucket 6 to dumpthe load, as indicated in full lines in FIG. 3.

The two pairs of links 7 and 8 are pivotally connected to frame 12 bymeans of a single cross-pin 13 that is suitably secured to the frame inforwardly spaced relation to the upright manually operable arm 14 ofbellcrank lever 10, the links 7 having circular holes 15 in their rearend portions allowing only pivotal movement of links 7 relative to pin13, whereas links 8 have bayonet slots 16 provided therein which, solong as the pin 13 is engaged in the upwardly offset front end portion17 of the slots, allow only pivotal movement of links 3 relative to pin13, as required in the raising of the bucket from lowered loadingposition to raised transporting position and dumping position. However,in the raised position of the bucket the rear ends 18 of the links 8 aredisposed directly over horizontal pad portions or abutments 19 providedon the frame 12 of the toy, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4. Hence,if under these conditions the bucket is raised a little farther, enoughto disengage pin 13 from the upwardly offset front ends 17 of slots 16,it is apparent that the bucket 6, which is pivoted to the front. ends oflinks 7, as at 20, and to the front ends of links 8, as at 21, is freeto drop by gravity, the bucket pivoting relative to links 7 at 20, asshown in full lines in FIG. 3, thereby dumping whatever has beenpreviously loaded therein:

A one-piece U-shaped wire yoke 22 is slidable up and down by means ofits cross-portion 23 in vertical slots 24 provided in the frame 12 andhas its arms 25 pivotally connected to links 7 by means of trunnions 26in holes 27 that are spaced forwardly relative to the holes 15 pivotallyconnecting links 7 with pin 13. This yoke 22 is movable up and down inthe slots 24 by means of the forwardly reaching arm 28 of bell-cranklever 10, this arm 28 being disposed in right angle relationship to andbeneath the middle portion of the cross-portion 23 of the yoke 22, asclearly appears in FIG. 1, so that the bucket 6 can be raised andlowered by merely oscillating the bellcrank lever 10, the latter beingrocked on pivot 11 by means of its hooked middle portion 29 engaged inslot 30 in the frame. Longitudinally extending flanges 33 on links 7space the same from links 8 slightly more than enough for arms 25 toextend between these links from trunnions 26. Ends 34 of links 7 areoffset inwardly, as shown, toward links 8 to facilitate their pivotalconnection with pin 13.

In operation, assuming the toy bulldozer 5 is resting on the floor 31with bucket 6 in the loading position indicated in dotted lines in'FIG.4, the child can by forward movement of toy 5 slide the bucket 6forwardly into a pile of sand or other material to load the bucket andthen he can elevate the bucket bypulling rearwardly on arm 14 ofbell-crank lever 10, and the load can be transported by moving the toy 5to the place where the load is to be dumped. Then, in order to trip thebucket 6 the arm 14 is given a further rearward movement sufficientfirst of all to engage the rear end 18 of links 8 on abutment 19 andthen by still further rearward movement to bring the three points 26, 13and 32 into alignment on the line ab in FIGS. 2 and 4, whereupon links 8are free to slide forwardly relative to pivot pin 13 by means of slots16, as indicated in FIG. 3, so that the bucket 6 pivoting at 20 relativeto links 7 dumps the load. After the load is dumped, forward movement ofthe arm 14 of bell-crank lever 10 lowers the bucket 6 as trunnions 26move in a counterclockwise direction relative to pin 13, thereby movingpivots 20 forwardly relative to pivots 21 and disposing the bucket 6accordingly in a favorable position for re-establishment of the lockedrelationship of links 8 to pin 13 in the ofiset ends 17 of slots 16 whenthe bucket 6 comes into contact with the floor 31. The operationdescribed may be repeated time and again by simply oscillating the lever10 in the manner described, and it should be clear from the descriptionthat the toy recreates quite realistically in miniature the operation ofthe bulldozer that the child is accustomed to seeing at work inexcavations and in road building, and wherever else bulldozers are used.

It is believed that foregoing description conveys a good understandingof the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A toy bulldozer comprising a frame, a bucket in front of said framepivotally mounted on the front end of a pair of laterally spacedelongated links the rear end of which are pivoted on the frame, a secondpair of laterally spaced elongated links pivotally connected at theirfront end to said bucket above and in vertically spaced relation to thefirst links, said second links having longimanually operable means forraising and lowering said bucket by means of the first mentioned links.

2. A toy bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 in which the second links arepivoted on said frame on the same pivotal axis with the first mentionedlinks.

3. A toy bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the last mentionedmeans comprises a generally U-shaped yoke having means on the upper endsof the arms thereof pivotally connected to the first mentioned links in'for- Wardly spaced relation to the pivot for said links on said frame,and means for raising and lowering said yoke.

4. A toy bulldozer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the last mentionedmeans comprises a generally U-shaped yoke having means on the upper endsof the arms thereof pivotally connected to the first mentioned links infor- Wardly spaced relation to the pivot for said links on said frame,and means for raising and lowering said yoke comprising a bell-cranklever having two arms 'in transverse relationship to one another, one ofwhich serves as a handle for manual oscillation of said hell-crank leverand the other of which is disposed in transversc'relationship to thecross-portion of'said yoke and arranged to raise and lower the same inthe oscillation of said lever, said lever being pivoted with respect tosaid frame at the junction of said arms.

5. A bulldozer comprising a frame, a bucket in front of said framepivotally mounted on the front end of an elongated link the rear end ofwhich is pivoted on the frame, a second elongated link pivotallyconnected at its front end to said bucket above and in vertically spacedrelation to the first link and having a sliding pivotal connection atits rear end with said frame, means providing a detachable connectionbetween the second link and its pivot prohibiting endwise movement ofsaid second link relative to said pivot except when the bucket iselevated to a predetermined level for tripping of the bucket, and meansfor raising and lowering the bucket by means of the first mentionedlink.

6. A bulldozer as set forth in claim 5, in which the Second link ispivoted on said frame on the same pivot with the first link.

7. A bulldozer as set forth in claim 5 wherein the means providing thedetachable connection for said second link with said pivot, and themeans providing a slidable pivotal connection for said second link withsaid frame comprises a bayonet. slot provided in the rear end portion ofsaid second link longitudinally thereof, said slot having an upwardlydirected front end receiving the pivot on said frame.

8. A bulldozer as set forth in claim 5 wherein the means providing thedetachable connection for said second link with said pivot, and themeans providing a slidable pivotal connection for said second link withsaid frame comprises a bayonet slot provided in the rear end portion ofsaid second link longitudinally thereof, said slot having an upwardlydirected front end receiving the pivot on said frame, the bulldozerincluding an abutment on said frame on which the rear end of the secondlink is slidably pivotally engaged when the bucket is raised to apredetermined level preliminary to dumping, where by further upwardmovement of the bucket results in the dumping thereof by disconnectionof the upwardly directed front end of the bayonet slot from the pivot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,827,541 Opperman Oct. 13, 1931 1,929,516 Redmond Oct. 10, 19332,702,963 Swenson Mar. 1, 1955 2,812,869 Nisperly Nov. 12, 19572,886,192 Schwartz May 12, 1959

5. A BULLDOZER COMPRISING A FRAME, A BUCKET IN FRONT OF SAID FRAMEPIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE FRONT END OF AN ELONGATED LINK THE REAR END OFWHICH IS PIVOTED ON THE FRAME, A SECOND ELONGATED LINK PIVOTALLYCONNECTED AT ITS FRONT END TO SAID BUCKET ABOVE AND IN VERTICALLY SPACEDRELATION TO THE FIRST LINK AND HAVING A SLIDING PIVOTAL CONNECTION ATITS REAR END WITH SAID FRAME, MEANS PROVIDING